Education by tour during time in the Navy

Some get their worldview by formal education and enlightened discussion; I got mine gazing ashore from the deck of a ship and looking out the window of buses on cheap, Navy-sponsored tours of exotic places. Let me give you a few examples.

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I learned about classical music when I rode a donkey to the top of a mountain on the Spanish island of Majorca to see the last piano of the famous Polish composer Frederic Chopin. The maestro was long gone, but in my mind I could hear his music echoing softly throughout the ancient church.

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I learned about mythology when I visited the reputed home of the Oracle of Delphi, half a day’s ride outside of Athens, Greece. Although it turned out to be just a hole in the ground, I did manage to have a few profound, even philosophical thoughts. On the other hand, they might have been induced by errant diesel fumes.